CHARLESTON – Legislative leaders have approved a 3.4 percent cut to the Legislature’s current fiscal year budget, trimming more than $870,000.
“As we prepared for the 2010 legislative session, we kept in mind the state’s fiscal condition, and were already making some cutbacks,” House Speaker Rick Thompson said. “We’re willing to do our part to ensure a balanced budget.”
Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin added, “Our state government is fortunate to be in much better shape financially than most states, thanks to years of prudent budgeting, but we’re still feeling the pinch.
“Distributing the cuts evenly, across the board, is only fair.”
The leaders have agreed to cut the Legislature’s current budget by 3.4 percent – a total $877,862 decrease this year. That’s a $336,565 reduction for the House, a $230,921 cut for the Senate and a $310,375 cut for the Legislature’s Joint Committee operations.
Both the President and the Speaker said the reductions should not negatively affect the day-to-day operations of the Legislature. There have been several job vacancies that were not filled, and both houses are making changes to reduce the amount of printing that takes place during session.
In addition, they decided not to hold any interim meetings outside of Charleston in 2009 – something the Legislature usually does at least once a year.
